The continuing study conducted by computer scientists at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) reveals that OpenAI's GPT-4 large language model (LLM) can autonomously exploit real-world security vulnerabilities by reading security advisories, new research paper findings published by Cornell University's Arxiv detail.
The Bottom Line Upfront
The researchers found that when given a CVE advisory describing a flaw, GPT-4 was capable of exploiting 87% of the vulnerabilities tested, compared to 0% for other models and open-source vulnerability scanners. This breakthrough raises concerns about the potential capabilities of future models and the need for proactive security measures.
The Breakdown
This study demonstrates that AI agents, specifically GPT-4, can effectively exploit real-world security vulnerabilities by leveraging their ability to understand and analyze security advisories.
The success rate of GPT-4 in exploiting vulnerabilities highlights the potential risks associated with the increasing capabilities of language models and the need for robust security measures.
The findings emphasize the importance of regularly updating software packages to apply security patches promptly, as relying solely on security through obscurity is not a viable defense against AI-powered exploits.
